Operating tool



July 11, 1933. Q QDONNELL 1,917,878

OPERATING TOQL Filed Oct. 30, 1950 IN VEN TOR.

of a conventional Bendix three-shoe brake' Fatented july H, 1233 UNITEDSTATES {PATENT rrica CLAUDE ODONN'ELL, OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA,ASSIGN'OR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO BENDIX AVIATION CORPORATION, OFSOUTH BEND, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE OPERATING TOOLApplicatith filed October 30, 1930. Serial No. 492,258.

This invention relates to tools for attaching the return springs ofbrakes and the like, and is illustrated as embodied in a tool shapedgenerally like a pair of tongs and arranged to stretch a spring one endof which has been attached to 'a brakeshoe, so that the opposite end maybe attached to another shoe or to the backing plate or other point ofattachment.

An important feature of the invention 1s in the construction of the toolso that the fulcrum arm need not engage the brake lining or any otherpart of the brake which could be damaged thereby, and to this end Iprefer to form this arm of the tool with a notch so arranged as to forma sharp cutting edge disposed at an acute angle to the arm and adaptedto bite into the inner edge of the web of the brake shoe, together withan adjacent projecting portion which engages the side of said web. Theother arm of the tool is formed for engagement with the spring.

The above and other objects and features of the invention, includingvarious novel and desirable details of construction, will be apparentfrom the following description of the illustrated embodiment shown inthe ac-- companying drawing, in which: 7

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the tool, the lower parts of the armsbeing broken away;

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing t e notching of the fulcrum armas described above;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the other arm of the tool showing howit is formed to hook into the eye of a spring; and

Figure 4 is an elevation showing the stretching of the main returnspring of a Bendix three-shoe brake by my novel tool.

The tool in the form illustrated is generally like a pair of tongs andincludes a fulcrum arm 10 andan operating arm 12 connected by means suchas a pivot 14. The operating arm 12 is formed with a projection 16 atits upper end adapted to hook into the eye at one end of a brake returnspring. 1 For convenience of illustration, I have shown this hooked intothe eye of the return spring 18 (Figure 4). The fulcrum arm is formedwith a notch 20 at its end so arranged as to form a sharp cutting edge22 which, as shown in Figure 4, is disposed at an acute angle to thefulcrum arm and arranged to dig into the inner edge of the web of theshoe 24 to which the spring 18 is attached, together with a projectingportion 26 which engages the side of said web.

With the tool in the position shown in Figure 4, the arms may bemanipulated to stretch the spring 18 so that the hook or eye at itsrighthand end may be introduced into the opening 28 in the opposite shoe30 so that the spring is tensioned between the shoes 24 and 30.

While one illustrative embodiment has been described in detail, it isnot my intention to limit the scope of the invention to that particularembodiment or otherwise than by the terms of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A tool generally formed like a pair of tongs and comprising a pair ofarms pivoted together and one of which arms is notched at its end toprovide 'a sharp edge adapted to bite into the edge of a web of a brakeshoe and an adjacent projecting portion to en gage the side of said weband the other of which arms is formed with a portion adapted to hookinto the eye at the end of a brake return spring attached to said brakeshoe so that the tool may be manipulated to elongatethe spring.

2. A tool comprising a pair of arms pivoted together, one of said armsbeing notched at its end to provide a sharp edge disposed at an acuteangle to said one arm and adapted to bite into the surface of a metallicmember and an adjacent projecting portion adapted to engage the metallicmember adjacent said surface, the other arm being formed with aprojection adapted to receive the hooked end of a tension spring so thatthe tool may be manipulated to elongate the spring.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name.

